4 Wise Ways To Correct Your Boss Without Getting Fired

posted by Scotty Mac -

May 4, 2017

Not all bosses are open to correction from their employees, so what's a team member to do? It can be a very "sticky situation" to address, but when you know - in your heart - that it NEEDS to be addressed here are some guidelines from career coaches Jacqueline Smith from Business Insider, and Bernard Marr, a bestselling business author and global enterprise performance expert.

Says Smith, "telling your manager they're wrong can be tricky. For obvious reasons, they should know when they've got their facts wrong or made an error. But you don't want to seem like a know-it-all, and you never want to embarrass or insult your superior — so you need to tread carefully." OK, here we go:

1. Pick your battles. "Before you lay on the criticism, ask yourself, how important is it that I correct this?" writes Marr. “If their mistake will be costly to the company or make them look stupid in a big meeting, it's probably worth letting them know (if, and ONLY if, you go about in in the right way).”

2. NEVER correct them in front of others. "Speak to your boss in private, so there's no chance you will embarrass him in front of others," Marr suggests. "Correcting your boss in front of a client or in front of his boss is probably the worst possible time, because your boss has the most at stake."

3. Use suggestions instead of statements. "Couch your correction or criticism as a suggestion or opinion," Marr advises. For instance, try something like: "I think this would be a better way to handle…" he says. "When you don't come out swinging with the 'You're wrong,' bat, you also make it easier for them to buy in and agree with you."

4. Offer a solution. "Nobody likes to hear that they're wrong, but it's even worse when there seems to be no point to it," says Marr. "Instead of just pointing out a mistake, offer a suggested solution for how to fix it."

There's no guarantee that your boss will admit to his mistake. "In that case, go back to step one and ask yourself how important the issue is. Know when it's time to escalate and take your concerns to someone else in the company. You might want to go to HR first (who will likely agree to keep your concern confidential) before addressing your boss' boss directly."